Vedanta Lanjigarh flags off its Annual mega Cataract Camp 

Vedanta Hospital collaborates with Mahanadi Netra Chikitsalaya to kickstart its Cataract camp

Lanjigarh, Kalahandi District, Odisha, 11^th October, 2023: Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh, India’s premier producer of metallurgical grade alumina organised its annual mega Cataract camp at Vedanta hospital, Lanjigarh in collaboration with Mahanadi Netra Chikitsalaya, Sonepur. The camp focuses on supporting the elderly patients of the local communities with quality and accessible eye care.  

The camp for this year will be organized across 7 phases; each phase with the goal of assisting 40 beneficiaries, making the overall target 280. Since its launch in 2014, the camp has marked a significant achievement with the completion of 1000 surgeries successfully. The aim of the camp is to offer a single point of access to provide holistic treatment to Cataract patients, covering everything from initial screening and diagnosis to surgery and regular follow-up visits. The first phase was completed in the month of September and changed the lives of 38 beneficiaries. Subsequently, the remaining phases will be organised. In the previous year, the camp comprised 6 phases, during which a total of 221 surgeries were successfully completed. This time, the camp was flagged off by the senior leaders of Vedanta Lanjigarh and representative of the Zila Parishad. 

Under the project Aarogya, as a part of the regular health check-ups conducted by the community health outreach team, they proactively initiate the identification of the community members who might have cataract. During the camp the identified patients are treated. This is followed by the patients’ visit to our Vedanta hospital wherein eye specialists and ophthalmologists provide them with further end-to-end treatment. Upon the conclusion of their treatment and support, these patients are provided with blankets under our initiative. 

To ensure seamless and expedient care, Vedanta Lanjigarh has undertaken various measures, including free diagnostics and medicines, community awareness campaigns, counselling, distribution of more than 1000 nutrition baskets, and establishing a community support system for patients. Additionally, its Mobile Health Units (MHUs), operating across 65 villages each month, conduct regular health check-ups, free initial screenings, and refer patients to Vedanta Hospital to prevent TB cases in the community. 

Mr. GG Pal, Dy. CEO, Vedanta Ltd., Alumina Business, said, “The welfare of our community is of prime importance. The constant focus of creating awareness and helping the communities by facilitating comprehensive healthcare experience is one of our major principles of giving back to the communities. On the eve of World Sight Day, we Vedanta Lanjigarh strive to come together and make the communities feel empowered with the ability to witness the transformation of Kalahandi and god’s own factory with the god’s beautiful gift of sight.” 

Malama Harijan, a 63-year-old from Badpada, Lanjigarh, “I had completely lost my vision and it was difficult for me to muster the courage to go for surgery. Fortunately, Vedanta supported me throughout the process, helped me undergo the surgery without any financial burden and supported me till recovery. With my vision restored, Vedanta has given me a second chance to view the world and experience its beauty. I am forever grateful to Vedanta for this incredible gift of sight.”  

Vedanta Aluminium provides a wide spectrum of basic and specialized healthcare services in and around its areas of operations in Lanjigarh, including: 

• Vedanta Hospital, Lanjigarh: The Vedanta Hospital at Lanjigarh provides free of cost medical facilities to over 60,000 people across the communities annually. The hospital has already procured upgraded equipment for Ultrasonography and physiotherapy. Additionally, it is currently undergoing a transformation for the further upgradation of amenities and equipment. 
• Mobile Health Units: The company operates Mobile Health Units in its areas of operation, providing basic doorstep healthcare services, as per a pre-determined schedule to over 22,000 patients in over 65 villages in Kalahandi district. 
• Nand Ghars: Through its Nand Ghars, which are modernized anganwadis that act as centres for women & child development, Vedanta Aluminium provides quality healthcare and proper nutrition to young children, pregnant women, and new mothers. 
• Health camps: The company regularly conducts mega health camps in Lanjigarh with the assistance of medical personnel from government hospitals, providing free-of-cost, quality healthcare in remote parts of Odisha. The health camp initiative had more than 4000 unique beneficiaries in FY23 alone. 
• Sanitation drives: To promote health and hygiene in the community, the company also organises cleanliness & sanitation drives where hygiene practices like handwashing are promoted. Moreover, employee volunteers work with the local populace to clean and disinfect drains & streets to help prevent infectious diseases.
  • Cataract Surgeries: The company so far has provided cataract surgeries to over 220 patients in Lanjigarh in FY23.